Absolute power Corrupts absolutely
by Captain Howdy
Summary: Tai San Is forced by Top Hat to resserrect an ancient cult....OOc, but that's the whole point, pikers...will end up Tai San/Guardian


Disclaimer: The Tribe does not belong to me.  
  
Author's note: The religious stuff that is strictly made up though based on Norse mythology. And I'm well aware that Tai San is OCC. That's the whole point. So don't flame me with that particular complaint.  
Warning: This contains the burning of Christian artifacts and implied sex. If this offends you please don't bother reading this story.  
  
  
Tai San winced as the grill clanged down. She was scared-more scared than she'd ever been in her life. She saw the runes on Top Hat's arms, wrists chest and neck.  
He was a Sect-member too-mercy was not an option….unless… She stared at the fire flickering over the papers scattered round and words rose unbidden to her mouth.  
She screamed out a desperate promise, a promise that she thought she'd never be able to keep. One by one, the Tribe Circus members stopped, and turned round. One of them ran to get Top Hat, and they all watched Tai San with passive faces.  
The Mall Rats how ever, looked at her in astonishment.  
"What are you doing?" hissed Amber, "What are you saying?"  
Tai San ignored her.  
She screamed out in the unknown language again, while Top Hat walked through the door.  
He too stared at her passively. Tai San shivered, and stopped screaming.  
She brought out a knife and began to draw it across her skin when Amber grabbed her, this time her face scared.  
"Tai San!"  
"Amber! This is important!" Tai San hissed and slashed the knife against her arms.  
She cried out again: harsh and guttural.  
"Looks like she's finally lost it," Zandra whispered spitefully.  
Tai san began to trash her self against the bars.  
"What's she doing, Salene?" asked Pasty as the rest of the Tribe watched in horror.  
"I don't know, Pasty." Said Salene. "I honestly don't know."  
Top Hat motioned to one of his henchmen, who went and lifted the grill.  
Tai San ran out and fell at his feet, weeping bitterly.  
Top Hat squatted down, and lifted her chin with his cane.  
"Remember that you made a promise."  
With that, the Tribe Circus made their exit.  
Silently, the Mallrats put out the fire, and Salene took Tai San to her room.  
The incident was never mentioned again.  
  
  
Tai San stared at the mug of coffee in her hands. She tried to remember last when she had coffee. She was secretly glad that the antidote was working, because it meant peace. And peace was the important thing, wasn't it?  
Bray and the others were asleep, and Tai San decided to lock the grill. She knew that the militia was guarding the mall, but she had a bad feeling. And Tai San never ignored bad feelings.  
As she went up to the grill, she noticed militia slumped on the ground. She opened her mouth when a hand clamped around her face.  
"We can't be having that," said a familiar sounding voice with an English accent.  
Silent as ghosts, shadowy figures slipped in. They stole into all bedrooms. Top Hat turned to Tai San.  
"You made a promise!" he hissed, his face accusing.  
"I…"  
"You promised!" Top Hat said in slightly louder voice.  
"No," Tai San said, "You expect me to dredge up some age old cult, to give up everything I believe in, because I made a promise out of desperation?"  
Top Hat smiled.  
"You didn't always believe in karma and charkas and so forth. I remember Maestro telling me that at every Blooded day, you wept as loud as the holiest priestess."  
"Maestro? Who….well it doesn't matter. The fact is I'm not going back. That part of me died with the adults. When the Christian zealots burnt the Temple of Truth down to the ground."  
"They did?" Top Hat asked. One of his eyebrow rose. "Well you'll just have to get them back, won't you?"  
"Did you hear what I said?" Tai san asked, getting frantic. "I'm not going back!"  
"You don't really believe in Karma, do you?" Top Hat said, ignoring what she said just said. "You try to convince the others that the future lays in spiritualism, that their karma is what really matters, not science. But all you're trying to do is convince yourself."  
Tears rolled down Tai San's face.  
"I'll go…can I tell them…"  
"No. You made the promise, you suffer…alone." Top hat grinned.  
Tai San looked at him.  
"This isn't about The Sect, is it? You just want me to suffer."   
Top Hat smiled.  
"You, them, what does it matter? I find watching suffering on the whole quite enjoyable. I don't even believe."  
"No."  
"If you don't, Tai San, I will kill every member of your Tribe. Then I will kill you, but not before I extract the formula for the antidote from you. Tribe Circus will be powerful even more than before."  
Tai San felt like some one had crushed her heart with a hammer. She knew she had no choice. As she got her things, she felt like she was on autopilot.  
As she turned to leave, Top Hat whispered in her ear,  
"Look to your Gods and Goddesses, Tai San. They will guide you through this time of darkness."  
In the morning, Ebony was livid. All the militia had fallen asleep at their posts. And Tai San, one of the two people who knew the formula for the antidote, was gone.  
Meanwhile, Tai San walked with her Tribe Circus escort through the suburbs. They stopped at a sign: St. Mary's, Littleton catholic church.  
"Good enough," said Top Hat. "Get to work."  
It took Tai San the best part of two hours to lug the many statues, crosses and silverware out into a pile in the street. She almost sighed with relief when she set them alight with some matches she found in the vestry, but was aware of the many eyes of the Tribe circus watching her.  
Tai San smashed the windows too-the smashed glass lay beautifully colorful in the green grass. Tai San could not deny that smashing all the angels and saints felt good after knowing that zealots who worshiped in churches like these destroyed her own faith.  
But then Tai san realized that she believed again. It flowed through her, stronger than it ever had before. The irony struck her; that it took a destruction of symbols of another faith to rebuild her own.   
It took Tai San most of the night to clear the church, and by the morning most of the Tribe Circus had slipped away. Two remained: Top Hat and Maestro.  
Finally the church was empty. No pews, statues crosses or anything remained in the church. It was now simply a shell of a holy building. After she was finished, Top Hat rode his motorbike over to her.   
"Goodbye, most holy Priestess," he whispered in her ear, and kissed her cheek. He rode off into the sunrise, a reversal that suited his anti-hero style.  
When the rumbles died away, Tai San broke down. She let out a wail. She was alone. She knew if she went back to her previous beliefs, Top Hat would know. And then what would happen? Alone, she thought, I'm last of my kind.  
In her despair, she had forgotten Maestro. He walked over to her and bent down to face her.  
"Please," he begged, "Please become Priestess. I've been alone for such a long time, I need to worship again. Please."  
Tai San looked into his eyes and saw tears. Tears of devotion or desperation? She asked herself.  
And then, Maestro kissed her. Then she knew he was devoted, not desperate.  
It was a kiss of faith, not love. Tai San's body ached with longing, and remembered the last time she had been with a man-Lex. A memory she'd rather forget. She stood up, and took Maestro's had, and led him into the windowless church. She spread a blanket down on the cold floor, and lay down on it, and beckoned Maestro to follow her.  
It was midday when Tai San got up. She got dressed, with Maestro watching her.  
She motioned him to get up too, but he kneeled in front of her.  
"My priestess," he said.  
"My acolyte," Tai San murmured. "Spread the word that the God House is risen."  
"What ever pleases the Gods and Goddesses," Maestro murmured. He dressed and left.  
Tai San smiled. The Gods and Goddesses. It felt good to be back in a faith she really believed in. Karma? Just a way of filling the hole she'd felt after her parents died. What Top Hat had said about her beliefs was pretty true.  
"Priestess," Tai San murmured to herself. She like the sound.  
"Tai San, High Priestess of the Sect of Truth." She smiled. "That is who I am now."  
  
Meanwhile, the Mallrats were either frantic or furious. They had searched most of the city and Tai San was no where to be found.  
Danni and Ebony were united on one thing: that Tai San was going to use the antidote for her own good.  
"I told you she had too much power," Danni hissed at Bray after they had offered rewards for her whereabouts. "She's obviously gone off to another Tribe to sell the formula for the antidote."  
But little did she know that the antidote was fast becoming useless.  
  
Salene wandered the streets, alert for a cry of a baby, anything that might signal its whereabouts. Brady had been missing for two days now, and Trudy was off her head with worry. Salene had been searching for most of the day, and she felt hot and thirsty.  
Then something caught her eye; a flickering in the distance, like some one had a fire going. She ducked to the side of the road and edged along carefully as she heard loud and raucous singing in a language she didn't understand.  
The thump of drums sounded in her ears. She crept forward, mesmerized, and almost screamed when a hand clamped heavily down on her shoulder.  
"Hmmm, this is strange. A disbeliever-here?" a husky voice asked.  
"Let's take her to the God House-maybe our priestess can, heh heh, show her our famous hospitality to guests." Another voice said, and strong arms grabbed Salene from behind.  
"Don't you mean sacrifices?" the husky voice asked.  
"Sacrifices, guests, it's all the same."  
Salene tried to open her mouth but a gag was placed over her mouth. She was now blind and dumb, but all her other senses were heightened.  
She could smell roasting meat and sweat.   
But the drumming had stopped and Salene was painfully aware of the panting of those around her. But people still chanted, softer now, and Salene had the impression of something building up, like water behind a dam.  
She squealed into the gag as hands began to pat her all over.  
"Just a precaution, nothing personal," some one muttered.  
Then a familiar voice shattered the air.  
"Wotan guides us!" it screamed.  
"Wotan guides us!" everyone shouted.  
"Frig protects us!"   
"Frig protects us!"  
"The Battle Woman gives us courage!"  
"The Battle Woman gives us courage!"  
"Loki is beside us!"  
"Loki is beside us!"  
"Priestess!" the person next to Salene shouted, "I have an outsider here. What shall I do with her?"  
"I know her," said the familiar voice, and with a jolt Salene realized it was Tai San.  
"Bring her inside."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Some one grabbed her by the arms and Salene put up no resistance. She was going over in her mind what she could say to Tai San. After all, everyone had been very angry at Tai San for leaving without an explanation, or a goodbye. And most of them had worried that she had sold the antidote to another Tribe.  
Finally, Salene was thrown onto the ground, which was covered with what felt like straw.   
Her gag was removed, and Salene got her first look at what her friend had become.  
Tai San was sitting on a rough wooden throne, which was covered in what looked like scratches. Her dress was the purest white, and a diamond choker was clipped round her throat. On her face were scratches, similar to the ones carved onto her throne. Tai San's hair was piled up, and held in place with a strange halo of thick silver wire. Coloured beads hung from ropes on her headdress, and clicked every time she moved her head.  
"Salene," Tai San said, "What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here, far from the Mall?"  
Salene glared at her.   
"How dare she talk to me like nothing's happened?" She thought.  
"Just an errand," she muttered.  
"Something to do with Brady perhaps?" Tai San asked her face devoid of any emotion.  
"If you have her…"   
"We don't. We do, how ever, know where she is." Tai San murmured, cutting Salene off.  
Salene was stunned. Everything was happening so fast, and Salene was having trouble keeping up.  
"But…"  
"There is, however, a price." Tai san interrupted. "We require some assistance from the militia. And WE will choose the punishment for Brady's kidnappers, without any 'help' from Bray or Danni."  
"Uh, I don't know…" Salene mumbled.  
"Why don't you go back and ask the whole Tribe? That's how it used to work, right? Or do Danni and Bray make all the decisions now?"  
Salene looked up, her faced scared.  
"Oh, do grow up Salene. I'm not going to hurt you." Tai San said impatiently, and waved her hand. War-painted member of her tribe emerged from the shadows, and took Salene's arms.  
"Escort her to the edge of our territory." Tai San sat down, and the guards began to carry out her order. Then she added,  
"She is NOT to be harmed."  
  
Tai San strode quietly between the rows of sleeping bodies.  
"Priestess." Maestro's quiet voice came to her from a corner.  
"Maestro! I'm so glad you're back," Tai San whispered.  
"So am I, Priestess. The Zoot-worshipers suspect something, I'm sure." Maestro said, pulling back the hood of his long blue robe.  
"Ah, Zoot, a good, safe little god. Pretending to be strong, violent, and vicious. A mere picnic compared to Wotan or Battle Woman." Tai san laughed. She was serious again.  
"But what of their leader, the Guardian?"   
"He suspects me most of all, Priestess. But so long as I am useful, I still live. He is clever."  
"Too much so, for his own good, perhaps."  
"Yes. But his faith blinds him."  
Tai San frowned.  
"Is that a true? Or is it you that feel that…"  
"No, Priestess." Maestro muttered his face sullen. "Are you questioning my loyalty to the True Gods?"  
Tai san shook her head. It had been some time since she and Maestro had been lovers, and they were still good friends, but sometimes Maestro forgot his place.  
"I cannot risk coming back again, in any case," Maestro said owlishly.  
"Well, don't then." Tai San said. "I'll not have my best acolyte murdered by some children worshiping a maniac."  
  
Bray shifted nervously in his seat, while Danni cleaned her nails using the nails on her other hand.  
"The most High Priestess." A guard muttered, and Tai San walked into the room.  
Danni looked up and gasped.  
Tai San looked a lot different from how Salene had described her. Instead of a pure white gown, she wore a baggy tunic and leggings made of coarse black material. Her arms were deeply gouged with holes and lines. Her face however was free of any marking. Only her headdress remained the same.  
"Tai San," Bray murmured, "How…nice it is to see you again.  
"Indeed. How many militias are there presently?"  
"Er…" Bray began, but Danni cut him off.  
"Is that it? No explanations, no apologies, no nothing?"  
"Why?" Tai San looked surprised. "Did I, during my short stay at the Mall, offend you in any way?"  
"Why you little…"  
"Let me make myself clear, Danni. I make no apologies for anything. Ever. Do you understand me? Why should I?"  
"Because…"  
"Because I wanted the same thing you wanted, Danni. Power. Absolute Power corrupts absolutely-don't you think?" 


End file.
